Sheriff: Don’t get scammed

That’s according to Ashe County Sheriff James Williams, who said at least five local residents have reported receiving calls from fraudsters in recent days.

In this particular scam, Williams said callers are telling people the government is giving away $50,000 and all the target has to do is give the caller vital information – like social security card numbers and the target’s date of birth.

“We always get a lot of stuff during tax time, scammers calling and purporting to be from the IRS and saying they’re going to garnish their wages,” Williams said.

The Internal Revenue Service periodically updates alerts for taxpayers that warn about these kinds of scams. The agency said it will never call someone and demand immediate payment – or even call someone without first sending them a bill in the mail.

That agency also said it won’t ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone, and it won’t threaten to bring local police agencies like the Ashe County Sheriff’s Office or the West Jefferson Police Department to your home for not paying.